The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, addressed a gathering of the first candidates for ordained pioneer ministry this week at Lambeth Palace.

Dr.Williams spoke of his long standing conviction from his days as a diocesan bishop in Wales that a mixed economy of church life is essential for our changing situation. He spelt out how important it was to encourage fresh expressions of church and all kinds of pioneer ministries including ordained pioneers. 

The address was part of a whole day consultation at Lambeth organised jointly by Fresh Expressions and the Ministry Division of the Archbishops Council.

‘What excites me about what you are doing and what is happening at the moment is that churches are being born,’ Dr Williams told the gathering.

The Archbishop spoke of the three challenges of ordained ministry in fresh expressions of church: finding ways to be a focus for the life of the new community; finding ways to connect with the traditional church and other ministers and finding the right balance between freedom and accountability.

The candidates were drawn from a wide range of training institutions including established theological colleges such as Wescott House, Cranmer Hall, Ridley Hall, St. John's, Nottingham and Wycliffe Hall, a wide range of training courses including the Northern Ordination Course, STETS and SEITE and the two new centres in London offering mixed mode training: St. Miletus and the Westminister Theological centre. 

‘The main aim of the day was to get this first group of candidates together so that they could meet each other and hear the Archbishop's own commitment to fresh expressions of church at first hand’ said Dr.Steven Croft, Archbishop's Missioner and leader of the Fresh Expressions initiative.

He added: ‘We also wanted to listen to the candidates experiences of exploring vocation and training so far and their hopes for future ministry’.

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Item from: Fresh Expressions